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1963 in film
The year 1963 in film involved some significant events, including the big-budget epic Cleopatra, Alfred Hitchcock's horror ''The Birds'', and two films with all-star casts, How the West Was Won and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Events * February 20 – The classic epic western How the West Was Won premieres. * June 12 – Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton, premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City. Its staggering production costs nearly bankrupted Twentieth Century Fox and the adulterous affair between Taylor and Burton made the publicity even worse. Cleopatra marked the only instance that a film would be the highest-grossing film of a year while still losing money, thus establishing it as, at the time, the biggest box office disaster in cinema history. The film's terrible reception harmed the reputation of director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who had an esteemed career for directing classics like A Letter to Three Wives, All About Eve, Julius Caesar, The Barefoot Contessa, Guys and Dolls, and Suddenly, Last Summer. It effectively destroyed the career of its well-known producer Walter Wanger, who never worked in Hollywood or on another film again; he died five years later at the age of 74 of a heart attack. Much of the blame of the film's failures could be pointed at Taylor's super-diva personality, her and Burton's adulterous affair, and the studio's inadequate management. It wouldn't be until two years later that Rodgers and Hammerstein's adaptation of The Sound of Music would help rescue Fox from bankruptcy by becoming one of the highest-grossing motion pictures of all time. * November 7 – The classic comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World premieres and it boasts one of the finest all-star ensemble casts ever, easily the most impressive for a comedy. It is also the first comedy film ever directed by Stanley Kramer, best known for directing serious human drama films on controversial subjects like The Defiant Ones, Inherit the Wind, Judgment at Nuremberg, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. * December 25 – Walt Disney's production of The Sword in the Stone premieres. It is the second adaptation of T. H. White's The Once and Future King after the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe musical Camelot, the first cinematic adaptation of the novel, and the 13th film adaptation of the legend of King Arthur. Top-grossing films (U.S.) Awards Academy Awards: :Best Picture: Tom Jones — Woodfall, United Artists-Lopert (British) :Best Director: Tony Richardson – Tom Jones :Best Actor: Sidney Poitier – Lilies of the Field :Best Actress: Patricia Neal – Hud :Best Supporting Actor: Melvyn Douglas – Hud :Best Supporting Actress: Margaret Rutherford – The V.I.P.s :Best Foreign Language Film: 8½ (Otto e mezzo), directed by Federico Fellini, Italy Golden Globe Awards: :Drama: :Best Picture: The Cardinal :Best Actor: Sidney Poitier - Lilies of the Field :Best Actress: Leslie Caron - The L-Shaped Room :Musical or comedy: :Best Picture: Tom Jones :Best Actor: Alberto Sordi - Il diavolo :Best Actress: Shirley MacLaine - Irma la Douce :Other :Best Director: Elia Kazan - America, America Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival): :The Leopard (Il Gattopardo), directed by Luchino Visconti, Italy Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival): :Hands Over the City (Le mani sulla città), directed by Francesco Rosi, Italy Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival): :Il diavolo (To Bed... or Not to Bed), directed by Gian Luigi Polidoro, Italy Notable films released in 1963 Christmas films released in 1963 #Christmas Cracker #A Visit to Santa Short Film Series *''Looney Tunes'' (1930–1969) *''Terrytoons'' (1930–1964) *''Merrie Melodies'' (1931–1969) *''Yosemite Sam'' (1945-'1963') *''Speedy Gonzales'' (1953–1968) Births *January 14 — Steven Soderbergh, director *February 17 — Michael Jordan, actor *March 18 — Vanessa L. Williams, actress, singer and former beauty queen *March 20 — David Thewlis, English actor *March 27 — Quentin Tarantino, director *April 26 — Jet Li, actor *May 11 — Natasha Richardson, actress (d. 2009) *May 25 — Mike Myers, Canadian actor *June 6 — Jason Isaacs, English actor *June 9 — Johnny Depp, US actor *June 10 — Jeanne Tripplehorn, US actress *June 12 — Tim DeKay, actor & producer *June 15 — Helen Hunt, US actress and director *July 30 — Lisa Kudrow, US actress *August 5 — Mark Strong, English actor *August 7 — Harold Perrineau, actor *August 14 — Emmanuelle Béart, French actress *October 6 — Elisabeth Shue, US actress *October 12 — Dave Legeno, actor *November 5 — Tatum O'Neal, US actress *November 27 — Vladimir Mashkov, Russian actor *December 15 — Helen Slater, US actress *December 18 — Brad Pitt, actor *December 19 — Til Schweiger, actor Deaths *January 2 **Dick Powell, 58, American actor, director, Murder, My Sweet, The Bad and the Beautiful **Jack Carson, 52, Canadian actor, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Arsenic and Old Lace *January 6 - Frank Tuttle, 70, American director, This Gun for Hire, Waikiki Wedding *January 28 - John Farrow, 58, Australian director, Hondo, The Big Clock *February 8 - George Dolenz, 55, Hungarian actor, Vendetta, My Cousin Rachel *February 18 - Monte Blue, 76, American actor, Key Largo, White Shadows in the South Seas *April 4 - Jason Robards, Sr., 70, American actor, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, Isle of the Dead *May 6 - Monty Woolley, 74, American actor, The Bishop's Wife, Since You Went Away *May 17 - Daniel Mendaille, French actor, 77, L'Affaire Maurizius, Napoléon *June 7 - ZaSu Pitts, 69, American actress, Greed, Life with Father *June 18 - Pedro Armendáriz, 51, Mexican actor, The Fugitive, Fort Apache *July 25 - Leota Lane, 59, American singer, actress, Three Hollywood Girls *August 14 - Clifford Odets, 57, American playwright and screenwriter, Sweet Smell of Success, None but the Lonely Heart *August 17 - Richard Barthelmess, 68, American actor, Broken Blossoms, Only Angels Have Wings *October 29 - Adolphe Menjou, 73, American actor, Paths of Glory, A Star is Born *October 31 - Henry Daniell, 69, British actor, Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror, The Great Dictator *November 1 - Elsa Maxwell, 82, American gossip columnist, Rhapsody in Blue, Stage Door Canteen *December 2 - Sabu, 39, Indian actor, Jungle Book, The Thief of Bagdad *December 5 - Tom London, 74, American actor, Calamity Jane, High Noon *December 12 - Yasujirō Ozu, 60, Japanese director and screenwriter, Tokyo Story, Late Spring Film debuts *Alan Alda - Gone are the Days! *Mel Brooks - The Critic *James Caan - Irma la Douce *Héctor Elizondo - The Fat Black Pussycat *Kurt Russell - It Happened at the World's Fair *Lynn Redgrave - Tom Jones *Donald Sutherland - The World Ten Times Over References 24. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057129/business?ref_=tt_dt_bus Category:Years in film Category:1963 in film